The Aviationist Blog

Photos show Marines F-35B aircraft carrying the external gun pod during exercise off the coast of Djibouti. For the last two weeks, U.S. Marine Corps F-35Bs assigned to the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 211 “Wake Island Avengers”, deployed with the 13th Marine Expeditionary Unit, have undertaken the type’s first operational deployment in international waters off […]

The crash landing has caused some 2M USD damage to the UAVs (unmanned Aerial Vehicles). An MQ-4C Triton experienced a technical failure that forced it to perform a gear up landing at Naval Base Ventura County (NBVC) at Point Mugu on Sept. 12, the U.S. Navy confirmed “The Navy says as a precautionary measure, the […]

Hollywood Gossip Site Leaks Photo of F/A-18F With Special Markings. Even though all of us feel the need for speed to get the new Top Gun sequel, “Top Gun: Maverick” released it sounds like Paramount Pictures has requested another flyby even as photos of a newly painted U.S. Navy F/A-18 Hornet that may be linked […]

This time the Bear bombers were escorted by Su-35 jets. On Sept. 11, at approximately 10 PM EDT, two U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor fighter jets “positively identified and intercepted two Russian Tu-95MS A“Bear-H” bombers west of Alaska. Nothing special then, considered that a similar intercept had occurred on Sept. 1. However, this time the Russian […]

Spectators Are Not Allowed to Touch F-35 Jets, But Some in Belgium Got a Lucky Chance. If you are among the millions of people to see a Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter at an airshow since its first public appearance at Joint Base Andrews in the U.S. in 2011, you know there […]

Looks like two F-16s from Aviano were involved in a somehow “mysterious” mission over the Mediterranean Sea during last weekend. As the overnight trilateral strike on Syria on Apr. 13 and 14 has proved, an OSINT (Open Sources Intelligence) analysis based on flight tracking websites ADS-B, Mode-S and MLAT and other information shared via social media, may provide a clear […]

The footage, showing U.S. Army’s elite unit’s helicopters was filmed during the exercises carried out by the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR) last April. Last April, some MH-60s and MH-6s helicopters belonging to the 160th SOAR “Night Stalkers” carried out a series of exercises in New York City. As reported by Tyler Rogoway at the War […]

Fourth T-38 Trainer Accident in Eleven Months for USAF Talon Crews. A U.S. Air Force T-38C Talon two-seat, twin engine advanced jet trainer from the 80th Flying Training Wing at Sheppard Air Force Base in Texas departed the runway prior to takeoff this morning at approximately 10:13 a.m. Both crew members ejected from the aircraft […]

The Air Policing Mission and Homeland Security Since 9/11 Face Adaptive Threat. “Kill one, terrorize a thousand.” Sun Tzu’s quote from “The Art of War” defines the basis for asymmetrical warfare, a conflict where one side uses traditional military doctrine while the other side exploits the vulnerabilities of its adversary in any way available, including […]

The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) Aviation Combat Element (ACE) VMM-264 (Reinforced) takes us on board the USS Kearsarge (LHD-3) during deployment work-ups. Authoritative voices bark from the loudspeakers on the deck of the U.S.S. Kearsarge, a U.S. Navy Wasp-Class Amphibious Assault ship. Simulated threats are identified, and timely safety reminders regarding deck activity are […]

USAF Reserve Col. Regina Sabric Is Also Commander of 419th Fighter Wing. Colonel Regina Sabric, callsign “Torch”, of Tobyhanna, Pennsylvania has become the first female Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter pilot in the U.S. Air Force Reserve. Col. Sabric is also commander of the 419th Fighter Wing at Hill AFB in Utah, […]

Syrian Reactor Mission Markings for the jets involved in the raid. On Sept. 6, 2007 the Israeli Air Force (IAF) destroyed the nuclear reactor in Dier ez-Zor, Syria as part of an operation named “Silent Tone” (previously unofficially named “Operation Orchard” by international media). For more than 10 years, Israel never publicly admitted that some […]

A routine close encounter between Russian bombers and American stealth interceptors in the Northern Pacific Ocean. On Sept. 1, two Russian Tu-95MS strategic bombers involved in “scheduled flights over the waters of the Arctic Ocean, the Bering and Okhotsk seas” and supported by at least one Il-78 Midas tanker were, at some stages, accompanied by […]

For the third time, the Italian F-2000A jets have deployed to Keflavik to ensure the safety of Iceland’s airspace. On Sept. 4, four Italian Air Force Eurofighter Typhoon jets deployed to Keflavik Air Base, Iceland, to contribute to NATO’s enforcement of Iceland’s sovereignty. Over the next few weeks, the Italian pilots will undertake QRA (Quick […]

The West Thought the MiG-25 Was a Deadly, Agile Superfighter. What They Learned Was Surprising. 1430 Hrs. Local, September 6, 1976. Sea of Japan near Hakodate Airport, Hokkaido Prefecture. Jet fuel burned faster than he calculated as he pressed lower under the overcast, down to the gray black waves only 150-feet above the Sea of […]

Both Aircraft Landed Safely, but “Class A” Damage Sustained by F-35C in Accident. A U.S. Navy F-35C Lightning II was damaged during a midair refueling exercise with an F/A-18F Super Hornet over the Atlantic Ocean on Tuesday according to a statement released by the Naval Air Forces Atlantic spokesman Commander Dave Hecht to United States Naval […]

Unique One-Time Mass Formation Over Lake Erie Captured by Photographer Glenn Watson. In what is certainly one of the most spectacular aerial photo shoots in aviation history, photographer and pilot Glenn Watson captured amazing photos of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds and the Canadian Forces Snowbirds jet demonstration teams flying […]

Tu-142, Su-30SM, Il-78 and Il-20 are taking part in the large-scale drills in the Mediterranean Sea. An interesting video released by Zvezda shows most of the aircraft taking part in the drills in the Mediterranean sea the Russian Ministry of Defense announced last week in a move Moscow said was justified by a failure to […]

Radom Air Show 2018 report. Last week, on Aug. 25. and 26., the Polish Air Force celebrated its 100th Anniversary, during a special Centenary edition of the Radom Air Show. Even though the occasion was quite spectacular, the event left somewhat a bittersweet taste with the audience. The Polish Air Force, the celebrant who had […]

Joint Strike Fighter is Still a Lightning Rod of Criticism, But Progress Continues. Photos and Video by Lance Riegle unless otherwise stated. Story by Tom Demerly and David Cenciotti. The F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program reached several developmental milestones in August 2018 despite ongoing criticism of the program’s costs and reported technical concerns. As the […]